Incoming Connacht coach Pat Lam consulted the other three Kiwis in charge of Irish provinces before deciding to take over as Eric Elwood’s successor, he revealed yesterday.

The 44-year-old coached teams against sides turned out by Joe Schmidt, Mark Anscombe and Rob Penney in New Zealand but did not hesitate in picking their brains before deciding to move to Galway.

Lam is now observing his new team until the end of the season when Elwood will step aside.

And he said ahead of his reunion with three Kiwis: “Yeah, it is great we are all competing again.

“When I was coach of Auckland’s NPC team Mark was with North Harbour, Rob was with Canterbury and Joe was with Bay of Plenty.

“Then Joe was with the Blues when I was the Auckland coach, his assistant coach there. We have all got really good relationships and I see they are all doing really well.

“Certainly Joe has got a very good analytical brain and brings guys together really well. And the style of rugby that he has played has been fantastic too. I would not be surprised if he is selected as the Irish coach. It would be a real gain for Ireland.”

Former Newcastle Falcons and Northampton Saints player Lam also paid tribute to Elwood for affording him the opportunity to come in for the final four games of the season.

But he again stressed that his role will be solely as an observer from now until he takes over on June 1.

Lam said: “This is fantastic. Again I have to thank Connacht and most particularly Eric because it is an unusual situation.

“They suggested it, I was keen on it and I thought it was a win-win. Again it goes back to Eric, everything is about Connacht Rugby.

“He didn’t have to have me here, the next coach coming in. It is just the mark of the man that he is putting action to what he actually says.

“Connacht is in his blood and he wants what is best for Connacht. So do I and all I am doing here now is just getting as much info as I can and observing. It is a massive advantage to see the last couple of months of the season.”

Former Samoan international Lam is now finalising his squad but has been impressed by the talent at his disposal, particularly the indigenous talent developed by Connacht in recent years.

He said: “The thing that Eric and Connacht Rugby have done really well is bring through a lot of the local players.

“I watched the Eagles game at the weekend and I was encouraged by some of the talent that’s there. It is really about making sure that players see there is a real pathway through Connacht and through Irish rugby.

“If they can see there is a pathway, through development, that they’ll become better rugby players and a pathway through to the national team.

“But the best part of it is what rugby is all about. We are going to have to do it as a team, we don’t have a lot of X-factor, we don’t have a lot of international stars. Next year we don’t have any current Irish internationals. So it is going to be relying on each other but that’s why I love rugby, it’s a team game and everyone has got to come together.”